Page 45 of The Misfit Mage and His Devilish Desires

Each and every one of the demon lords ceased their prattle, their feasting, their movements, and fixed all their collective attention onto Lilith. I paid respect to her presence and followed suit, keeping my body and essence stilled.

“Everyone, resume.” Lilith gestured with a single raised hand like a conductor of an orchestra, and the melody of chattering demon lords who feasted upon the dishes comprised of essence continued. “We’ll be moving into the second course shortly.”

“Oh,” Wally said, keeping his eyes on Lilith while his leg bounced. “I’m intrigued to see what could possibly top this already spectacularly outstandingly stupendously…”—he bit his lip and muttered—“that’s a lot of adjectives.” Then he quickly cleared his throat. “It’s such a challenging menu to top. Because it’s already so good.”

“Well, I do enjoy topping things,” Lilith said in quite the matter-of-fact way, so I couldn’t determine if she was being playful with Wally or simply mimicking his word choice out ofpoliteness. Neither seemed probable or positive. The Lilith of legend didn’t do playful or polite.

“So, oh great and splendidus Walter, do tell,” Corson commented, because of course he fucking did. “Which is your favorite dish from this course?”

Wally squinted and forced his lips into a tight smile to keep from scowling. All the while, I clenched my fists to keep from punching Corson through another wall.

“Such a difficult choice to make with what’s been presented,” Wally said through gritted teeth.

“It’s not that difficult.” Corson lapped up one of the more palatable pieces of meat provided and chewed with his mouth open. “Personally, I’m a fan of the steaks. I just love the feel of thick, juicy meat sliding down my throat. Don’t you?”

Wally gulped.

“Shush, my sweet.” Lilith brushed a hand over Corson’s face and squeezed, breaking the skin and drawing essence out like blooddrops made of tar. “He is always voicing himself unnecessarily.”

He growled and gurgled until complacently quieting.

“Do we need to hear your voice?” Lilith slowly shook Corson’s head back and forth in a ‘no’ motion. “You’re here to be a pretty and proper prince.”

“Of course,” Corson started before clearing his throat to silence himself.

“Much better.” Lilith released him and licked the essence on her fingertips. “He’s by far my prettiest child. Dainty and plain in most respects, but he glistens on a burning battlefield while dancing in dead dimensions.”

An indication of Corson’s station and where he served among his devil’s army, and also a veiled reminder that Lilith regularly visited other realms with her demons to eviscerate everything in sight.

“Speaking of dances.” Lilith’s face lit up with excitement. Quite literally. Light from some meal of essence she’d feasted upon earlier illuminated her light gray skin or the projection of light gray skin meant to mimic my appearance in this augmentation illusion. “May the decadence of the devil’s dance fill you with warmth and entertainment, Great Lord Devil Walter Alden of the Misfit Mortal Mage Hybridization.”

“Wait,” Wally squeaked, then squirmed in his seat. “I’m expected to dance?”

“Nonsense,” Lilith said, strutting to join Wally on his chair, squeezing in close. “We won’t share a dance until the ninth course.”

He gulped, his eyes filling in the puzzle pieces with the fact that ‘course’ was an arbitrary term for anything deemed entertaining and appropriate for a Devil’s Banquet based on the host, the guest of honor, and the theme. In Wally’s case, it could literally be anything, as I’d never attended a feast in Hell with a mortal or mage or hybrid devil before.

“So, Iamstill expected to dance at some point?” he asked.

“You’ll learn the steps during courses six and seven,” Lilith replied. “Relax, darling.”

Wally forced a thin smile. “Okay.”

“For this dish, I’ve brought in another devil such as yourself,” Lilith cooed, fawning over Wally like a lovestruck teen. “Well, more his former self.”

Her gaze shifted, black eyes locked onto me, then the floor, then back to me and the seat I’d dared to move into with her absence.

“A demon with devil essence?” Wally asked, his tail instinctively wrapping around me and the seat where he wished for me to stay. “It’s a fascinating topic that you consider them devils.”

“Oh, I most certainly do not.” Lilith chuckled, her attention for me and placement waning now that Wally had boldly and affectionately grabbed ahold of me. “They are…hmmm, mortal research. What would you say as mortal? Yes, they are gnats holding hammers. Entertaining but pathetic. You, however, are something different. Not me. Not him. Not our performer.”

Her eyes flitted to me one final time when referencing my pathetic existence, how even when I robbed a piece of a devil and sealed him away for eternity, it meant nothing to her. All my achievements didn’t even register as a threat. I was a joke. A stain. A feeble attempt at power. As painful as that realization was, I took solace in the fact her gaze never turned sour like that when looking at Wally. There was admiration, fear, curiosity, but not disgust.

When her hand rested on Wally’s thigh, I wanted to strike her, but if my essence even stirred with a threatening posture, she’d slaughter me. In truth, Lilith merely meant to treat Wally as furniture. I’d seen devils do this to one another time and time again. When I had the misfortune of being dragged to unified court assemblies by Beelzebub.

The events were filled with a multitude of devils speaking on the importance of their own Hells and the interference of lesser realms, while others argued the reprieve of tiny dimensions with nothing to offer but an escape. All the while, they tested their limits on each other, some subtly like ways Lilith toyed around, some directly like how Beelzebub would slaughter several devils to test the group’s confidence.

“May I introduce Satan.” Lilith extended a hand as the fire finally died down, and a bright red demon waltzed into the dining hall. “He’s my favorite demon who survived the battle against Lucifer. Most have fizzled out, faded from memory, but not him.”

---